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Oliver Hazard Perry
The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. They are deployable by BLUFOR in Wargame: Red Dragon. History These frigates were designed to replace World War II era destroyers and 1960s-era Knox class frigates. The Oliver Hazard Perry class''' mission was to provide anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense to naval formations. Oliver Hazard Perry'' were designed by Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine in partnership with the New York-based naval architects Gibbs & Cox. 51 Oliver Hazard Perry''' '''class frigates were produced in America for the US Navy along with 4 built for the Royal Australian Navy. Others were built in Australia, Spain and Taiwan. Two variants of Oliver Hazard Perry class were produced the n 445 ft (136 m) long "short-hull" (Flight I) and 453 ft (138 m) long "long-hull" (Flight III) variants. The short hull Oliver Hazard Perry only carried SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I, while the Long hull counterparts were able to carry larger SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. The Oliver Hazard Perry class '''''are now leaving US service with some transferred into navies of Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, Pakistan, and Turkey. Overview The Oliver Hazard Perry is a low to mid-tier BLUFOR command vessel, capable of competently engaging both surface and aerial targets. It frequently appears in naval matches, although many players prefer to rely upon the more expensive La Fayette class. While flexible, its light armament complicates the employment of this vessel. The weaponry of the class consists of a single 76mm gun, mounted amidships, and a single-rail missile launcher forward which launches both Standard surface-to-air missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Defense is provided by a single Phalanx CIWS gun, mounted towards the rear of the superstructure; despite the information provided in the Red Dragon tutorial screens, this weapon apparently has free traverse and may fire forward. In addition to the CIWS, the ship's 30% ECM rating contributes to defeating enemy anti-ship missiles. The 76mm gun is adequate for minor shore bombardment roles, or for beating off Komar and Osa missile boats, but leaves the ship substantially under-gunned when compared with similarly priced REDFOR Najin and Luda class vessels. Furthermore, as there are no smaller caliber mounts, the Oliver Hazard Perry may be overwhelmed in close-quarters combat by the extensive gun armaments of the REDFOR vessels. More impressive capability is provided by the SM-1 Standard armament, which offers a substantial anti-aircraft reach, with reasonable accuracy. While the range is shorter than some other BLUFOR vessels, such as the Baek-Ku, it remains sufficient to deter most shorter ranged REDFOR anti-ship aircraft. An unusually high number of anti-ship missile is carried onboard – sixteen – but this capability is tempered by the fact that the Harpoons must by launched one at a time by the forward launcher. Consequently, it is very difficult to achieve the density of firepower to defeat enemy CIWS, although occasional hits may be scored against lower capability opponents when confronted individually, such as Osa missile boats. The accuracy of the Harpoons is also substandard, especially in comparison with the similarly-ranged YJ-82 carried by the REDFOR Jianghu-III class. Altogether, the poor gun armament of the Oliver Hazard Perry Class makes it a poor choice if deployed on its own. It is best suited to defending joint task forces, paired with vessels such as the Type 21 or the La Fayette, adding its CIWS and SAM firepower to a mixed flotilla of ships, while sniping at the enemy with its Harpoon missiles. Weapons See also * Category:Red Dragon naval support